A place where I write about my adventures and so much more……..

So let’s start with the reason why I have been SO lazy and have not blogged since September! Oops!!

September 12th I found out I was pregnant (even at 22 weeks this is still hard for me to comprehend) ! We have since found out we are having a girl and we are pretty set on the name Stella Marie! We are both so excited for this next chapter of our lives to begin , well in all reality it actually has already begun. Awe the lovely world of pregnancy!!

Lets just say that in the first trimester I could have slept my life away and been completely fine with it! That little girl of mine sucked out every once of energy that I had! Creating life is no joke, it’s like running two marathons back to back with no walk breaks , not that I have ever done that but I felt like I had every darn day of that first trimester. The minute I walked in the door after work I would head straight upstairs get into my pj’s and park my butt on the couch and I wouldn’t move until 8:00 rolled around and I was forced to go upstairs because I could no long keep my eyes opened! My healthy eating habits went right out the front door during this time because cooking was the last thing I wanted to do so I was always looking for something quick and we all know how that works out for us in the end! NO GOOD! I was very lucky enough to never have had any morning sickness or have any nausea, thank goodness! I have heard the horror stories!

Now that I am in my second trimester I have most of my energy back but this new thing called heartburn is pretty bad these days. I have never in my life had heartburn and boy it does not feel good! I am finally starting to look pregnant rather than chunky, ha, ha, I hope so anyways!

Here is her picture at 20 weeks, those 3D ultrasounds are AMAZING!!

My due date actually falls on my husbands birthday May 27th, how cool is that! He is super stoked!

So not to bore you with any more pregnancy stuff here are other things I have been up to lately.

A few weeks after we found out I was pregnant (I took 5 different test just to make sure it was true…and all of them came back positive so after that I realized the test were not lying to me) we took a great backpacking trip up to the Berkshires with some friends and my aunt.

A post shared by Crystal (@adventuresofanewenglandgirl) on Nov 30, 2014 at 1:56pm PST

He loves getting stuffed animals and destroying them in under a minute.

Christmas was very productive for me. I hand made all my gifts this year for all the girls in my family. I put together baskets filled with shampoo, lotion bars, make-up remover, chap stick and deodorant, all ingredients were 100% organic! They were a hit!!!

A post shared by Crystal (@adventuresofanewenglandgirl) on Dec 21, 2014 at 12:38pm PST

New Years Eve was pretty awesome too! We got together with my husbands brothers and their wives and his Dad and went out to eat at a place called Goten. It’s Japanese food hibachi style and it was AMAZING!!! We hit up a few bars after dinner and everyone was very happy they had a designated driver for the ride home, ha! Even when not drinking this group is a blast to hang out with so I had just as much fun as they did and I woke up with no hangover, win win situation for me!

Jed is really enjoying reading about what the heck this thing called pregnancy is that his mom is going through, such a good big brother he will be.

So that’s what I have been up to, and although I haven’t been keeping up with my blog I have definitely still been keeping up with all of your blogs , can you really even call me a blogger? Until next time, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Fall is finally here in New England and I couldn’t be more excited!!! It is definitely my favorite time of year fo sure( yes I meant to leave out the r) !!! Bring on the pumpkin everything!!!! Especially pumpkin beer!!!

We hit up the Long Trail brewery in Vermont on our way home from an awesome trip in New Hampshire a few weekends ago ( I know I’m horrible at posting, lol, I’m more of a Instagram kinda girl, I’m kinda obsessed w it). If you like breweries you have to check this one out!! They have great food, amazing beer and a great outside dining area that sits right on a river!!! Beer + good friends + good food + sitting by a river = one happy girl!! I was in heaven!!

I went to see Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers the same weekend and had a blast! The concert was at Fenway , must I say more 🙂

New Hampshire is where it’s at if you have a four wheeler! Being able to drive on the roads and grab lunch or ice cream (yes ice cream!!!) while on the trails is so cool!!

The sights were beautiful as usual.

We stoped by the river that ran along the trail a few times to just enjoyed living in the moment, it was nice!

My uncle has the coolest fishing vest that was handed down to him by his father. I fell in love with this vest and I had to try it on and of-course all of his other gear.

The boys chilling. I would say my sister and I have the same taste in men, ha! Hence the work boots and beards 😉

I wanted to update everyone that asked or emailed me about the oil pulling. Yes I’m still doing it and yes I’m loving it! I started my half marathon training and so far so good. I really believe the oil pulling helped me to kick that nasty cold once and for all and helped me to get my miles in. The best part about it is the way my mouth feels! So so fresh and clean!!! Hope everyone has some amazing plans for the fall , I know I do and I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Oh and I almost forgot about this cool little shack downtown Bath. I could stand by this shack all day long, the smell is amazing and the smoked pepperoni is to die for!!

So I unfortunately was not able to start my training for my half this week and man was it a bummer!! I have had this horrible cold since I got back from my Sand Diego trip (everytime I breathe in I have to cough, I tried running but only lasted 5 mins and then decided to not try until I was 100%) and have had the hardest time getting rid of it. I am a person who NEVER gets sick so when I do it’s very frustrating for me and especially if it last for a whole MONTH! Come on already!! I had broke down and went to the Dr last week and he gave me 5 days of antibiotics and even after taking them it was still there!! So I was desperate…… and would be willing to try anything to get rid of this nasty cold!

This is where the oil pulling comes in, he, he! I really didn’t want any more antibiotics, I’m a firm believer of “if you fuel your body properly it will heal itself” and I’m a sucker for ANY and ALL natural remedies! So of course I had to ask Google if he could give me some different ways to get rid of toxins with out having to go through one of those crazy detoxing system. Oil pulling is one of the things that kept popping up and so I did a little research of the benefits. Here is a list of those benefits thanks to Google himself 🙂

1.Reduces Plaque and Gingivitis
2.Reduces Bad Breath
3.Reduces Harmful Bacteria in The Mouth
4.Overall strengthening of the teeth and gums and jaws
5.Migraine headache relief
6.Correcting hormone imbalances
7.Reducing inflammation of arthritis
8.May help with gastro-enteritis
9.Aids in the reduction of eczema
10.May reduce symptoms of bronchitis
11.Helps support normal kidney function
12.May help reduce sinus congestion
13.Some people report improved vision
14.Helps reduce insomnia
15.Reduced hangover after alcohol consumption
16.Aids in reducing pain
17.Reduces the symptoms of allergies
18.Helps detoxify the body of harmful metals and organisms
With all these benefits I could not not try it!

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for oral health and detoxification.
Ancient Ayurvedic health practitioners believed that oil pulling could reduce more than just diseases of the mouth and throat. Today, many holistic practitioners tout its use for a variety of health concerns.

How to oil pull? It’s simple!
Put about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth (they say sesame oil is the best).
Swish the oil around your mouth for about 15-20 minutes.
Spit out the oil, then brush your teeth.

So I first started this yesterday and I used organic olive oil.

At first I’m not gonna lie it was a pretty gross feeling having oil in my mouth (they say coconut oil is better tasting then olive oil so I will try it at some point) but after a few minutes the oil starts to get a lot thinner and was more tolerable. I did last the 20 mins yesterday but only did 15 this morning cause I was running late. I will say it is the only thing that has allowed me to get all the nasty stuff in my chest out, I know pretty gross huh but it’s doing something and I’m going to try it out for a few weeks and will report back and let ya know what other good things come out of this thing they call oil pulling. 🙂 So until then I hope everyone has a great weekend, thank goodness it’s FRIDAY!!!!

My hubby and I just recently went to San Diego to visit family. I love the city of San Diego , the views are amazing and there is so much to do! We had a blast 🙂
One of the things I really wanted to do when we were there was to go for a hike. I have never hiked in San Diego before so it was pretty exciting 🙂 My brother-in-law suggested we hike Iron Mountain. It was a great hike and the views were AMAZING!!! I love being on top of a mountain and being able to see the ocean, I just think it’s the coolest thing ever! I believe round trip it was about 6 miles. When I’m hiking anywhere in New England usually if I get over heated I can find shade just about anywhere, that is not the case in Califorina! I had a hard time with the no shade thing but my nephews were such troopers, they showed me up big time! Thank goodness we were smart and brought PLENTY of precious H2O 🙂

How adorable are they?!?!?! 🙂

We did a little skateboarding 🙂 I can actually skateboard for about a whole 30 seconds,ha!

So this is the gym that is about one minute down the road from their house! The gym’s where I live DO NOT look like this! I was in heaven!!

We had a chance to visit one of our favorite West Coast breweries (Stone Brewery). Stone has some amazing beers (not only their own but from all around the world) and the food is delicious!!

We got to spend great quality time with family that we usually only see maybe once or twice a year! Made our hearts very happy!!

Like I said , the sights were beautiful!!!

Taking ya waaaayyyy back! The left side is me and the hubby in the same spot 10 years ago and the right side is 3 weeks ago, I must say we are aging well, ha, ha, good to know!

Soooo San Diego was so much fun but sadly as soon as I got home I got sick 😦 No Bueno! I didn’t go to the Dr’s till this past Tuesday (because I honestly NEVER get sick and if I do it’s here and gone the next day) and found out I’ve had pneumonia for the last 3 weeks! We had to take a red eye flight home to be back for work in time so I’m guessing the germs on the plane (all over the airport) and being completely exhausted might have played a role in this sickness! I know, I know, it’s pretty bad, but I did just get some medicine and have two more days of taking it and hopefully by Friday ( I have a wedding to go to so fingers crossed I feel better) I will be back on track! I’m also supposed to start training for a half marathon this coming Monday, yeah yikes is right, lets pray I feel better soon, till then hope everyone has a great rest of the week 🙂

A lot! Hence no post on the blog in a few months 😩 but that’s how life rolls sometimes and it’s ok (I will just keep telling myself that). However I have managed to keep up with all the blogs I follow, funny how that works, huh?!

So I will take it back a few months and show you in pictures just what I have been up to , pictures are always fun right?!?!

So after my awesome trip to Key West something major happened in my life. I sold the camper I had called my home for a very,very long time. Long story short my husband is a licensed contracted so we bought a house back in 2007 that was built in the 1800’s for a “project”, yeah turns out it was a very large and long project, we just finished last fall. We lived in the house for a few years and then moved out and did a complete renovation. During the winter we lived with family and the summers in a camper in our backyard (I will do a full post on the house in the future). We did that for three years , we were in that camper from the beginning of April to the end of Oct. That is 7 months out of the year for three years! Yeah, it was interesting! Oh and Jed too sooooo add a hundred pound dog to that situtation! Yeah so you can see why I say it was something MAJOR! Here a picture of the beauty before she headed to her next home.

One of my favorite people in the world came to visit all the way from Bend , Oregon. My friend Ashlie ( aka Ash ).

She came to visit because a friend of ours (Joy) was just recently diagnosed with MS so we all decied to run The Muck Fest (5k mud run) to support our friend and what she is going through. It was a cold ,cold day but we had a awesome group of people and had a blast! If you are interested in running the Muckfest in your town here is the link 🙂 http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HOM_MUCK_homepage It’s a great race and they raise money for a great cause!

I ran a Project Purple 5k which raises awareness for drug abuse. It was a fun race and I believe its very important to raise awareness of this issue everywhere we can! I even made the newspaper! I’m famous, ha! Here is the link if you are interested in running this race http://goprojectpurple.com/.

Went up to New Hampshire four wheeling for a few days. This trip was a blast!

This was Jed and my sisters dog (Willie) after running for days! He slept for days after this trip!

And the best combo for smores EVER! If you have not tried this I suggest you do very soon! Amazing!

I have been on a search (for a very long time) for a all natural eye makeup remover. I have looked everywhere, tried many different products and it’s always the same outcome! They are so expensive, burn my eyes & leave a greasy film. So I decided if I couldn’t find one than I would make one myself 🙂 After a lot of research I found the winner!!! It does not sting my eyes one bit, my eyes never look greasy and it’s so cheap!!! So I’m going to share my recipe (it’s very easy) with you so you as well can stop the search and make your eyes and wallets a lot happier!!! It’s two ingredients, yup that’s it!!!

So first thing is to get a small bottle that you want to use to mix the two ingredients.

The two ingredients are olive oil and witch hazel , both you can find at your local grocery store.

Fill 80% of the bottle with the witch hazel and the remainder 20% with olive oil. The two will seperate and look like this.

Just shake the solution before you use it and that’s it! I usually use a soft cotton pad to wipe off the makeup.

Now you know EXACTLY what you are putting on your eyes and you don’t have to pay the ridiculous amount of money that they charge for eye makeup remover!

Your welcome 🙂
If you have any great all natural recipes please share them with me!!!!
Thank you!!!

So it’s been awhile since I have written on here. Looks like I don’t have as much free time as I thought! It’s ok though I’m going to post when ever I can for now and we’re just going to start with that for now. Gotta start somewhere right? Right!

My trip to the Florida Keys was a blast! My sister and her boyfriend came with me and the hubby which made it that much more fun! The more the merrier 🙂

We were very fortunate to get the chance to stay on my in laws house boat for 6 out of the 7 days we were down there. The boat was beautiful and super comfy!! We all really enjoyed it thoroughly!!

The first few days we just explored a lot of different places! Ate at some great restaurants and drank some yummy tropical drinks! Perfect vacation in my eyes so far!

A few weeks ago I signed up for a 5k in the town of Marathon ( cool name for a town huh ), I really want to start a new tradition for myself to run some kind of a race when we are on vacation. It was a pretty good turn out. It was a super flat course and the weather was beautiful! I was pretty hot by the end of the race (I’m not used to running in the heat, it’s still winter where I’m from) and needed a drink as soon as I finished! We didn’t stay long for the after festivities because we were heading to Key West that day to stay over night.

My sister and I were a bit excited when we got to our hotel , we had a little to much energy! This is us trying to get it out with a head stand competition , I’m pretty sure I won 😉

We stayed at The Southermost Hotel. It was a pretty awesome place! It had 3 pools, 3 bars, sat right on the beach and had a great resturant with great good! Our room was also poolside which was pretty cool!!

Key West was so much fun!!

Everyone should go to Key West at least once in their lifetime!!!

One thing that we all really wanted to do was go snorkeling. There are a lot of tours we could of done but we are the type of people that like to do their own exploring. So ….we all decided to buy our own snorkel gear and rent a boat for the day! That way we could do all the exploring that we could fit I nto a 8 hr day 🙂

We went out to a light house that was called Alligator Cove and it was pretty amazing! The water was so clear!!

We even explored some islands!

The boat rental was money well spent!!

The last couple days we just did some more exploring. The boys got to feed tarpon at a place called Robbie’s Marina ( where we rented the boat). I have never in my life seen fish so big!!!

Met some new friends…….

and just enjoyed the boat life 🙂

Before we knew it it was time to say goodbye to Florida and head back up north to colder temps……it was a sad day for us all……

but as much as I love traveling and being on vacation I couldn’t wait to get home to see this face and have some serious snuggle time!!

I hope everyone gets to get out of the colder temps this winter and go some place warm!

My sister found this recipe on Pintrest and I just Had to try it! If you like bananas then you should try it too!!! Just take one banana (make sure it’s ripe, the more ripe it is the better) and two eggs , put the in a bowl together and mash em up! Pour them onto a skillet and cook them like you would normally cook a pancake ( it makes 3 pancakes ) and that’s it! You’ve got supper healthy pancakes!!!

The first time I tried this recipe I put syrup on them (not the real stuff, I like the REAL stuff like Miss Butterworths, yum) it was good and the best part was that it didn’t suck up all the syrup so I didn’t have to pour a gallon on each pancake 🙂 Normally I have to keep adding syrup to my pancakes because the pancakes usually suck up all the syrup and I like ALOT of syrup!!

Well ….I decided to make them again this past weekend and was thinking about how I was eating such a healthy pancake ( which makes me very happy) but I was ruining it by putting syrup on it even if it I was using less than I normally use. Soooo I tried something new…. I love the combo of bananas and peanut butter so I added some natural peanut butter to them and oh my goodness, I will never go back to normal pancakes again!!

To make them even more healthier I used coconut oil on the pan instead of butter 🙂

So last Sunday was an exciting day for me , it was my first day snowboarding for the year 2014 🙂 I made a smart decision and bought a seasons pass! I just had too!! It will help me to get out on the mountain as much as my heart desires!!

I was also excited because my mom bought me a new helmet last year and I had yet to try it out. It was great in so many ways! First off the only reason why she bought me the helmet is because she thinks I go too fast,ha!. The helmet itself is not the most attractive and it makes me look a little silly but it does help me to not have to worry about my precious noggin 🙂 It kept my head really warm and it was supper comfy. I’m pretty sure my mom bought this helmet at Costco and I don’t think it was too much $$$. Here’s a lovely picture of me and my helmet for your pleasure 🙂

My sister came with me but she is too cool for a helmet. She is actually getting really good ( she only started snowboarding a few years ago, I’ve been riding for 15 years) so she was thinking she will probably wear one next time we go 🙂

We went to Butternut Mountain ( they also have tubing which I have done and is a blast) in the Berkshires. We really like this mountain because it is only a hour and 15 minutes away for us and they have a great brewery in town 🙂 We both got season passes this year which were only 300$ a piece! That’s super cheap compared to a lot of other mountains in the area. Of course we would love to have a seasons pass to a bigger mountain up in Vermont but they are just too darn expensive!! Maybe we’ll be rich one day and be able to pay 1,000 for a seasons pass but until than Butternut it is. It really is a great mountain for beginners and for people with experience. They have two lodges where they serve food and drinks cafeteria style and they even sell beer and wine 🙂 We had a quick lunch (snack) (fries and beer, the snack for cool people) there but didn’t want to eat too much because we were saving our appetites for the brewery 🙂 This was our lunch , ha…

We snowboarded until about 3:30 and then packed up and headed to get some yummy beer. If you are ever in Barrington Ma and you like great food and great beer than you HAVE to go to the Barrington Brewery ( http://www.barringtonbrewery.net ). It is an awesome brewery that brews their beer from using solar power!! How cool is that?!?! Very cool!!! We split a bacon cheese burger with sweet potatoes fries which was super yummy!! They have a great selection of food from salads to burgers to dinner foods. They also have the best stout I have ever had (I’m a big fan of stouts and I’ve tried a lot of them so this is not a exaggeration , I promise ) called Black Bear Stout, just try it and you will fall in love!

So all in all it was a great day spent boarding with my sister so I was a happy camper 🙂 Hope you are all getting out and having some awesome winter adventures 🙂

So last Sunday Jed and I went out on a great trail run. We are very fortunate to live a mile down the road from over a 100 acres of trails where you can run, hike, snowshoe or just go exploring so it’s pretty much in my backyard 🙂

It is owned by the cutest old couple who live in Boston but frequently come out here to maintain the trails so everyone who lives in the area can used it for their pleasure. They are the sweetest people I have ever met and I run into them often.

Throughout the trails there are many little brooks for Jed to stop and have a drink, it’s great because that means I don’t have to take extra H2O with me for him when he gets thirsty.

Here are a few more pictures because I’m a big fan of these trails 🙂

It was a nice easy trail run. I did 3 miles at a VERY easy pace (it was Sunday people) and it wasn’t too cold so I didn’t have to wear too many layers 🙂

I love the this little random shack 🙂

There are a lot of old ruins in these woods which is kinda cool but sometimes a little creepy.

All in all it was a great little adventure with Jed 🙂

Until next time my peps , I will leave you with a picutre of the handsome Jed 🙂